Annual Newsletter

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Youngs!  It has been quite a year-full for us.  With a family of seven there is never a dull moment!
Christian has kept up with his gardening efforts.  Every year, the garden has doubled in production.  This year, the kids had fun setting up an organic vegetable stand on the street corner.  We never guessed that fresh veggies were in such demand!
Aimee has also ventured into new frontiers.  Having kept chickens for a year already, and seen how good the eggs are, she procured Dairy Goats.  The milk is quite good, and the baby goats are simply adorable.  Within hours of being born, the new kids were already attempting to jump over things.  Wow (I’m glad human kids take some time before that stage :)!  The secret to milking a goat is don’t send Christian to do it--it requires finesse. 
It was a busy year in the shop.  Christian built a few kitchens, this and that, and a large wine cellar.  He also had a busy tour guide season, and somehow found time to photograph a wedding, teach a theological class on craftsmanship, and give a geology seminar on the Grand Canyon.  Will he ever slow down?  Sure.  Between breaths. 
The kids had every bit as much activity.  Their chores include housekeeping, firewood splitting, animal husbandry, and each one gets assigned a garden crop to oversee.  All are bright when it comes to school--often brighter than interested in it.  Peter got closer to manhood, earning an axe and a pair of gloves; Anne is currently losing the front row of her teeth--simultaneously.  Elijah can’t stop building things, nor can he stop talking (just like one of his parents, but I can’t say which).  Tirzah simply won’t stop wearing a tutu; even in winter.  Berea is someone who can often be found making things with Elijah, or drawing things with Anne.   She is very methodical.   What a fun bunch! 
If I put it all into one word it would be life.   Things are lively; we love being alive.  More than that, our lives are bigger than us, having been bestowed by the Giver of life.  That gives us so much to live for, and make the most of life.   Those who are greedy for their lives find that they lose what they seek to keep.  This brings us back to Christmas, because in it the the greatest gift ever is found: LIFE.  “For as the Father raised the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives live to whom he will” John 5:21.  Merry Christmas!

Hello, my name is Peter. I’m in 5th grade and am home schooled. My least favorite subject in school is Math, but my favorite is Science.
I want to probably be a policeman when I grow up.
I have braces. Right now I’m just waiting to get them off- hopefully in January!
My favorite sport is soccer, and my second favorite is probably football.

Hi, I’m Anne. My favorite hobby to do is reading and running super fast. I sometimes like sports; sometimes I feel like I can do the splits, though I really can’t. My favorite fruits are clementines- those little oranges. I like dressing up. My favorite movies are princess movies. My skill is making Valentines. My favorite music is Christmas music. I have a loft bed- my Daddy carved a picture of a heart with swirls around it (it’s really pretty)- I sleep under it. Though I can’t see you, I know you’ll like this note!